On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) organized a conference to which it invited representatives of the constitutional courts and supreme courts of the EU Member States. Vice-President Kateřina Ronovská and Justice Martin Smolek represented the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic in Luxembourg.

The meeting of judges took place on 9 and 10 March. Koen Lenaerts, President of the CJEU, opened the conference with a welcome speech and moderated the first session dedicated to the ‘Origins, Development, and Future Prospects of the Charter’. Gráinne de Búrca, a professor at the European University Institute in Florence, gave the keynote speech on this topic. The second session focused on the ‘The Link Between the Charter and EU Values’. Thomas von Danwitz, Vice-President of the CJEU, took on the role of moderator, while Elena-Simina Tănăsescu, President of the Romanian Constitutional Court, was the keynote speaker. The third session dealt with the ‘Applicability of the Charter in the National Legal Orders’. This topic was introduced by Maciej Szpunar, First Advocate General of the CJEU, and presented in more detail by Francesco Viganò. Vice-President of the Italian Constitutional Court, and Dineke de Groot, President of the Dutch Supreme Court. Each session was followed by a lively discussion.

The second part of the so-called judges' forum was, as is traditional, divided into three parallel workshops. The first, focusing on the ‘Right to Effective Judicial Protection’, was moderated by Maria Lourdes Arastey Sahún, Judge of the CJEU and President of its Fifth Chamber. Villu Kõve, Chief Justice of the Estonian Supreme Court, explored the topic in greater depth in his presentation. The second workshop covered the ‘Right to Privacy’. Marc van der Woude, President of the General Court, took on the role of moderator, while Christos Ntouchanis, Vice-President of the Greek Council of State, was the keynote speaker. The third workshop, moderated by Savvas Papasavvas, Vice-President of the General Court, focused on ‘Restrictive measures and fundamental rights’. Martin Smolek, a Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, gave the keynote speech on this topic. He thus followed in the footsteps of Kateřina Ronovská, Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, who delivered a speech two years ago at a meeting of judges in Luxembourg, when the CJEU celebrated 20 years since the largest enlargement of the European Union.

The Constitutional Court greatly appreciates the fact that its representatives are repeatedly invited to share their knowledge and experience at such prestigious international forums.

Pavel Dvořák
Head of External Relations and Protocol Department
 

©CJUE 2026. Photos by Carles